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Controversy invited to Nine’s TV weddings

Episode 1 will not hold back on polarising statements, but Nine exec says Dean will confound expectations.

Married at First Sight will seek to light the controversy fuse on night #1 with NSW creative director Dean featuring as one of two grooms in tonight’s episode.

Nine has copped its share of criticism for one promo in which he says “I like a girl that is a girl and is girlie and knows that I’m the man and that I’m in charge.”

But Nine Head of Programming Hamish Turner says Dean will confound expectations.

“What he says as part of the casting reel versus how he appears in his marriage episode is interesting. What we pose with the question is ‘Is what he is saying in line with traditional views of love, hour and obey?'” says Turner.

“But I will let his character talk for himself.”

This is the second year of the revamped show in which contestants will live with one another after their TV marriages and if 2017 is any indication, it will be serious competition for Seven & TEN.

 

“Last season was a fundamental shift, taking it from an ob doc to a more of a traditional stripped reality show. Obviously we were very pleased with the numbers last year which fundamentally changed our fortunes at the top end of the year,” he says.

“People forget it launched around the high 700,000s / 800,000s but managed to keep building and it took on a life of its own. I think (this season) will do the same. It has a strong cast of characters all looking for love and they take the show in all sorts of directions.”

 

While plenty of couples have failed to last the distance there are still those who remain coupled, while Alex & Zoe from season 1 have a baby. But Turner concedes the audience still has to suspend disbelief, with none of the TV weddings being legal.

“I think the audience knows it is illegal in Australia to get Married at First Sight. You need to have known each other for a least one month. So they are Commitment Ceremonies in that sense,” he admits.

“It starts with people looking for love and the drama spirals out from there.

“There are some other couples still together going strongly. So it can happen.”

Begins 7:30pm tonight on Nine.

3 Responses

  1. One of the things that I was amazed about last year was how blatantly Nine “borrowed” a whole bunch of format elements from other shows. Apart from the opening episode with the wedding. Everything felt like i’d seen it before on other programs.

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